DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ LIV Golf’s Brooks Koepka Surges to the Masters Lead
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Andrew Beaton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Brooks Koepka finished the second round of the Masters at 12-under par. AUGUSTA, Ga.—Brooks Koepka shrugged his shoulders in disappointment on Friday when his bunker shot on the second hole just missed going in for an eagle. It was one of the signs that Koepka is back: the player who for a period of time was once the most dominant force at majors, then vanished for a while, was again expecting greatness from himself. After settling for a birdie there, he had to wait only six more holes to card an eagle. That type of play over the first two days at the Masters took him to 12-under par and a commanding clubhouse lead on Friday afternoon during the second round at Augusta National Golf Club.

☆ The Hack to Get Around the Phone Ban at The Masters: Smartwatches
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Andrew Beaton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

AUGUSTA, Ga.—The must-have accessory at the Masters these days isn’t a green jacket, a cigar or a folding chair. It’s a smartwatch. Augusta National Golf Club is as old-school as it is secretive, and one of its strictest rules is that fans aren’t allowed to bring in cellphones. That means anyone stepping onto the hallowed grounds loses contact with the outside world.

☆ Pine trees fall near Masters patrons, nobody injured
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Frank Pingue | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Augusta National Golf Club said nobody was injured from the trees that fell down as breezy northeasterly winds ushered in colder conditions. Threatening weather forced officials to suspend play for a second time at 4:22 p.m. "The safety and well-being of everyone attending the Masters Tournament will always be the top priority of the club," Augusta National Golf Club said in a statement. Moments after the two trees came down under darkening skies, there were several crew members on sight cleaning up the debris. Many of the pines found in the original forested part of Augusta National are over 150 years old while many others were planted when the course was built.

☆ Koepka storms into Masters lead
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Koepka, who shared the overnight lead with Norway's Viktor Hovland and Spain's Jon Rahm, returned a spotless five-under 67 to set a 12-under target for the afternoon wave that headed out under menacing skies. Resurgent Jason Day had looked poised to challenge Koepka until he stumbled to a double-bogey, bogey, par, bogey finish for a disappointing 72 that put the Australian in the clubhouse seven behind. While Rahm, winner of three events already this season, was always expected to contend at the year's first major, Koepka was not. "I just take it one shot at a time, one hole at a time, whatever I got in front of me," said Koepka. As Koepka was putting the finishing touches on his round, five-time Masters champion Tiger Woods was teeing off.

☆ Podcast: What 25 years of peace looks like in Northern Ireland
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Follow on Apple, Google or Spotify. Listen on the Reuters app. We're on the streets of Belfast for the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement. Our photographer walks us through what it was like to take this week's most memorable photo inside a New York courtroom and the azaleas are out at Augusta as golf deals with new rivalries. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Day nursing 'kick in the gut' at Masters after late mistakes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Frank Pingue | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Yeah, I'm actually very disappointed with how I finished," said Day. "It feels good, but today kind of ruins it for me," Day said with a laugh. The highlight of Day's second round came at the par-four 11th where he missed the green with his approach shot but managed to chip in for birdie from 22 yards. Day said seeing his ball drop did not make him recall Larry Mize's miraculous chip-in on the same hole to defeat Australian Greg Norman in a playoff in the 1987 Masters. Reporting by Frank Pingue in Augusta, Georgia, editing by Pritha SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Resurgent Koepka enjoying life in the fast lane at Masters
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Frank Pingue | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

First time didn't go, so figured try it again," said Koepka. Now Koepka, who also missed the 2021 Masters cut when he played three weeks after ligament surgery on his right knee, enters the weekend looking to restore his identity as major-championship specialist. "I mean, I've got a completely different knee, so the normal is a little bit different. Koepka also admitted that his decision to join LIV Golf would have been tougher if he was in full health and playing as well as he currently is but added that he was "happy with the decision" he made. Reporting by Frank Pingue in Augusta, Georgia, editing by Pritha SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Beer for $5 and sandwiches for $1.50: Here's how the famously cheap concession prices at the Masters compare to other major sporting events like the Super Bowl and US Open
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Masters Tournament began Thursday in Augusta, Georgia. Major sporting events like the Super Bowl, US Open, and MLB World Series all boast much higher food prices. In other professional sports leagues, like the NFL, MLB, and tennis, refreshments at their major events can cost nearly triple. A 16-ounce bottle of water at each stadium cost attendees just under $5, per ESPN. However, unlike many other major sporting events, the US Open permits guests to bring their own food and drinks into the tournament with some restrictions, helping attendees curb costs.

☆ A New Twist for the Tradition-Bound Masters: The LIV Golf Era
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Alan Blinder | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

AUGUSTA, Ga. — The mystery started in earnest last spring and lasted until autumn’s twilight. But Phil Mickelson — among the most famous frontmen for LIV Golf, the league bankrolled by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund — insists that he believed he would be allowed to play the 2023 Masters Tournament, which opens Thursday. Never mind any discomfort, or how on-course rivalries had transformed into long-distance furies tinged by politics, power, pride and money. No, Mickelson reasoned, tradition would prevail at Augusta National Golf Club, surely among sports’ safest wagers. “I wasn’t really worried,” said Mickelson, who spent the 2022 Masters in a self-imposed sporting exile after he effectively downplayed Saudi Arabia’s human rights abuses.

☆ The Masters has strict rules not seen anywhere else in sports. Here are the things that can get you thrown out or even arrested.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Tyler Lauletta | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

The Masters are here once again, and with them, the strict rules of Augusta National. Scottie Scheffler dons the green jacket after winning the Masters. AP Photo/David J. PhillipThis week the golf world's attention will once again turn to Augusta National, as the best players in the world compete in the Masters tournament. The Masters is a tournament of tradition — caddies are still made to wear their all-white overalls while walking the course, and fans that have traveled to Augusta National to take in the tournament are referred to as "patrons." Still, there are even more arcane rules at Augusta National, all the way down to what patrons can bring on to the grounds.

☆ The 10 worst US cities for job growth and earning potential in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

HR firm Checkr ranked the worst US cities for employment opportunities and earning potential. Cities based around agriculture and manufacturing have seen slower job growth and lower salaries. Earning potential was based on each city's real per capita personal income, 10-year income growth, and percentage of households that make over $200,00 a year. "The findings show that the current state of the US job market varies in big and small cities," Korelevich said. Jackson, Toledo, El Paso, and Lakeland also have a "less healthy job market," per US News.

You can follow individual golfers at Masters.com and through The Masters Tournament app. Where to watch the Masters in the USYou can watch the 2023 Masters Tournament on ESPN, CBS, and the Masters.com website. CBS and ESPN are also included as channels on live TV streaming services like Hulu + Live TV ($70/month) and FuboTV ($75/month). How to watch the Masters with a VPNSign up for a VPN if you don't have one. The Masters 2023 TV scheduleThe Masters is separated into four rounds of tournament play beginning on April 6 and concluding April 9.

☆ The bank taking over SVB's venture-debt business doesn't seem to know a lot about venture debt
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But first, can you explain what venture debt is? The venture debt community, which has grown considerably as equity funding has dried up, is skeptical that First Citizens is the best firm for the job, Insider's Darius Rafieyan reports. Reporting from the first annual Venture Debt Conference in New York, which First Citizens seemed to be absent from, Darius details how attendees and panelists questioned the family-run regional bank's ability to take over the complex and nuanced business that is venture debt. I'm all for learning on the job, but that type of knowledge seems like a prerequisite for buying a business with more than $70 billion in venture debt. But, if First Citizens is as ill-equipped to take over SVB's venture-debt business as some believe, that only further complicates the matter.

☆ Take a tour of Augusta National's gorgeous pro shop, the only place where you can buy official Masters merchandise
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Tyler Lauletta | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

A decorated hallway guides patrons into the store. In the old shop, long lines were a problem, with patrons in many cases left waiting outside in the elements for some time before there was even room to enter the store. Now, there is space for lines inside the building, with installations that tell the story of Augusta National in place to help engage the attention of those who wait.

☆ The Masters Navigates a Tricky Journey Through the LIV Golf Battlefield
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Andrew Beaton | Louise Radnofsky | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

AUGUSTA, Ga .—Fred Ridley, the tight-lipped chairman of Augusta National Golf Club, took his seat on the dais Wednesday flanked by two other green-jacket-wearing members for his annual remarks before the Masters, but this session was supercharged compared with the past. This year, the controversy consuming golf had sped its way down Magnolia Lane and straight into Butler Cabin. Ridley conspicuously avoided uttering the name of LIV Golf, the Saudi-backed circuit that has driven a wedge in the sport by luring many of the top players away from the PGA Tour. When Ridley obliquely referred to the situation, it wasn’t difficult to decipher his disagreements with players joining LIV and his displeasure with the divide that has landed on his doorstep.

☆ The Masters were caddied by only Black men for nearly 50 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

Located just three miles from The Masters venue, the historically Black district lay adjacent to Augusta Country Club. Eventually, many would hop across Rae’s Creek to begin work at Augusta National. A “good bag” at Augusta National would pay up to $5, Maben said, offering $20 for a particularly lucrative day’s labor. The 1983 Masters saw the first White caddies walk the greens at the major, with just 19 Black caddies on the bag, Clayton said. This year, the Lucy Craft Laney Museum will put the legacy of Augusta’s Black caddies – quite literally – center stage.

Persons: Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Willie Peterson caddied Nicklaus ’, Nathaniel “, ” Avery, Peterson –, –, Augusta, Nicklaus, Peterson, Augusta caddies, Leon Maben, Lucy, Lucy Craft Laney, Ward Clayton, “, ” Palmer, ” Clayton, …, Maben, Jerry ” Beard, caddie, Fuzzy Zoeller, John P, caddying, Willie “ Pappy ” Stokes, Stokes, Henry Picard, Ben Hogan, Hogan, Beard, Zoeller, Augusta “, Clayton, ” Maben, ” Beard, Heinz Kluetmeier, Tommy “, ” Bennett, Woods, scalding, John H, Stovepipe ” Gordon, Frank “, ” Stokes, Matthew “ Shorty Mac ” Palmer, Avery’s, Gordon, Gene Sarazen, Sarazen, Willie “, Perteet, Dwight D, Eisenhower, ”, ’, ‘, We’re, caddies, Jim Crow, Ron Townsend, Lee Elder, Elder, Andy Lyons, Townsend, ” Carl Jackson, Ben Crenshaw, Jackson, Crenshaw, “ Gentle Ben ”, Watson, Jamie Squire, Harvey Penick, ” Jackson, you’re, Andrew Redington, Avery, Palmer, Augusta caddies – Stokes, It’s Organizations: CNN, Augusta National, Bettmann, Getty, Augusta Country, Lucy Craft, Lucy Craft Laney Museum of, . Augusta National, ”, Augusta, ESPN, National, PGA, Augusta Country Club Locations: Georgia, Cedar Grove, Sand, Black, Augusta, caddies, Clayton, America, ”, Perteet

☆ Scheffler, McIlroy and Rahm not yet the Big Three but in league of their own
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"I just had breakfast with Jon Rahm and that didn't come up," laughed McIlroy, when asked if the three had discussed their dominance. It may be absurd to compare Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player, who combined for 34 major titles, to Scheffler, McIlroy and Rahm but on current form the present-day trio are in a league of their own. McIlroy opened his campaign with victory at the CJ Cup and hoisted the trophy at the DP Tour's Dubai Desert Classic. "You can say that (the new Big Three), if we do it for at least five-plus years like many of those players did," said Rahm. World number one Scheffler would not be drawn into the Big Three discussion but put the trio's domination down to a high level of consistency.

☆ Scheffler gets late Masters tee time, LIV Golf players separated
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Frank Pingue | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

World number one Scheffler, bidding to become the fourth player to repeat as Masters champion, will go out in the third-last group at 1:36 p.m. Australian Smith, one of 18 players from the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit in the field at Augusta National, will set off at 10:54 a.m. ET in the company of 2021 Masters winner Matsuyama on Japan and South Korea's Im Sung-jae. Among other notable LIV Golf players at the year's first major, three-times Masters champion Phil Mickelson will play alongside fellow American Tom Hoge and South Korea's Kim Si-woo. Dustin Johnson, who won the 2020 Masters before making the move to LIV Golf last year, will tee off with Canada's Corey Conners and England's Justin Rose.

☆ Reflective Woods content with 'small victories'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Even last year returning to competitive golf at Augusta National 14 months after a car crash nearly resulted in the amputation of his right leg, a defiant Woods insisted he was there to win. But given the opportunity during his pre-Masters news conference, a reflective 15-time major winner was content to talk of "small victories". "I didn't win the tournament, but for me to be able to come back and play was a small victory in itself," Woods told reporters. "I just have to be cognizant of how much I can push it," said Woods. "I just think it's understanding, picking some guys' brains and figuring out what they need to do to win this tournament."

☆ Woods and McIlroy fly PGA Tour flag at Masters practice
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Frank Pingue | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Woods and McIlroy, two of golf's biggest names who have both been vocal opponents of LIV Golf, went out off the 10th tee under overcast skies alongside former Masters champion Fred Couples and South Korea's Tom Kim. There are 18 LIV Golf competitors at this year's Masters, including 2020 champion Dustin Johnson, and while all did not schedule practice rounds on Monday those who did were also greeted warmly by the patrons. Former word number one Johnson, wearing a shirt with the logo of the 4Aces team he captains on LIV Golf, practised with current PGA Tour players Kevin Kisner, Brian Harman and Gary Woodland. Johnson, who won the inaugural season-long LIV Golf individual championship, was excited to reconnect with his former PGA Tour peers and said he does not feel any different being at Augusta National compared to years past. "I still play golf for a living.

☆ Five storylines to follow at this week's Masters
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/8] Golf - The Masters - Augusta National Golf Club - Augusta, Georgia, U.S. - April 3, 2023 Scottie Scheffler of the U.S. in action on the 12th hole during a practice round REUTERS/Brian SnyderAUGUSTA, Georgia, April 3 (Reuters) - Five storylines to follow as the best players in the world descend upon Augusta National Golf Club this week for the April 6-9 Masters. SCHEFFLER SEEKS RARE REPEATWorld number one Scottie Scheffler, who arrived at Augusta National last year as the hottest player on the planet, returns in top form and looking to become only the fourth player to successfully defend a Masters title. No player has won the Masters in consecutive years since Tiger Woods accomplished the feat in 2001-02 and prior to that only Nick Faldo (1989-90) and Jack Nicklaus (1965-66) have pulled off the Augusta double. Among those competing will be a prominent group of LIV Golf players that, in addition to British Open winner Cameron Smith, include former Masters champions Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson and Charl Schwartzel. The hole has played to an historical scoring average of 4.77 that makes it the easiest hole at Augusta National.

☆ Couples tells LIV members stop bashing PGA and play golf
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Steve Keating | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

After signing up with the Saudi backed LIV circuit, some members delighted in taking shots at the PGA Tour as they left their old work place. "If one wants to stop and ask why I'm picking on them, then I'm all for it," said Couples after his Monday practice round. "I just don't think they should bash the PGA Tour or anybody, just go play golf." Three-times Masters champion Phil Mickelson and 2017 Green Jacket winner Sergio Garcia have both been critical of the PGA Tour and the target of Couples' barbs. Speaking at a Champions Tour breakfast, Couples took a shot at Mickelson and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund that is bankrolling the LIV Tour.

☆ Starbucks is probably 'the best first job in America,' former CEO says as Congress probes the chain's treatment of unions
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Aidan Pollard | Alex Bitter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Starbucks is "one of the best, if not the best, first job in America," former CEO Howard Schultz said. "Starbucks is probably one of the best, if not the best, first job in America." "It's unprecedented, and that's why Starbucks doesn't need a union," Schultz said. But Wednesday's hearing showed that some current and former Starbucks employees don't agree with that assessment. Jaysin Saxton, a former Starbucks barista who lost his job in August at a Starbucks in Augusta, Georgia, also spoke at the hearing.

☆ Chipotle agrees to pay ex-employees after closing store that tried to unionize
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Chris Isidore | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —Chipotle Mexican Grill will pay a total $240,000 in salary and back pay to the former employees of an Augusta, Maine, restaurant that the company shuttered after the workers tried to unionize. The settlement payouts — which are based on pay rates, average hours and seniority — will range between $5,800 to more than $21,000 to each of the affected employees. It’s a win for food service workers across the country,” said Brandi McNease, a former Augusta Chipotle employee and lead organizer of the Chipotle United union. But the National Labor Relations Board, which oversees labor relations at most US businesses, filed a complaint in November alleging that the closing was an effort to defeat the union organizing. One other Chipotle location in Lansing, Michigan, has voted to be represented by a union.

☆ Chipotle to pay ex-employees $240,000 after closing Maine location that tried to unionize
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Chipotle Mexican Grill has agreed to pay $240,000 to the former employees of an Augusta, Maine, location as part of a settlement for closing the restaurant when workers tried to unionize. Employees at the Chipotle restaurant filed a petition to unionize under Chipotle United in late June, becoming the chain's first outlet to do so. While Chipotle United counted the settlement announced Monday as a win, it fell short of reopening the closed location. Chipotle will also offer to put all of those workers on a preferential hiring list for other Maine locations for one year. To date, just one Chipotle location has successfully unionized.

Search resuls for: "AUGUSTA"

25 mentions found